Seen by Federica at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 10th of August 2024
4 stars – impeccable acting
Matteo and Reggie are stuck into a loop, or straightaway in an absence of time, with the only endless task of carpentering their own coffins. Their opposite personalities lead them to small fights and to hilarious disputes. Matteo catches a grasp of their situation and looks for ways to escape, while Reggie is more defensive and suspicious, as he carries on the attempt to still make sense of his world.
In this absurdist, metatheatrical play by Mule Productions, the characters have the awareness of being inside a play. At the crossover between Beckett and Pirandello, they desperately try to flee the script by dismantling its mechanisms.
The performers and creators Marc Wadhwani and Jules Smekens are incredibly skilled, and their interpretation is consistently smooth. They juggle with exceptional ability between breaking the fourth wall and being back to themselves, they slip into sketches and out of them again with great ease, they manage to build tension and humour in the span of a few seconds. Their brilliant acting is the strongest part of this 40-minute play, an enjoyable trip into an absurd small universe.
2nd-17th August; 22.10 pm
Running time: 40 minutes
Venue: TheSpace @Surgeon’s Hall
Tickets and Info: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/play-by-john
Butterwort 
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